The trigger

Time really flies from my last post. More than one month has passed and I’m really proud of myself for picking up strength training on top of just sticking to yoga. The trigger for this was pretty silly. I couldn’t fit myself to a shorts that I bought (knowing pretty well that it was smaller than my normal size). Oh well, it was still a trigger and it made me find Chloe on Youtube. Usually, I don’t like strength training exercise as I do not like increasing my heart rate. But Chloe Ting really changed my mind.

Chloe Ting’s programme

I like how her programme was structured (maybe also I’m a planner myself). And she has a lot of programmes to choose from. I don’t like to repeat the same video every morning so having a different variety really helps. The best thing is she has clear instructions and low-impact variation for beginners. That helps ease me into this exercise. Lastly, I really like her community, in which people share their before and after results. This reflects Chloe Ting’s brand as friendly and trustable guide for my exercise journey. So I decided to set 30 mins of my time in my already busy morning to try out this 35-day programme.

And the journey begins…

Note: I kept an exercise journal to note down my thoughts and feeling during this journey everyday. Below is just short excerpt of some days.

Day 1: 1 Nov 2020

I tried out this workout and planned to do this for 35 days as recommended. Of course, I tried the low impact (no jumping) version which is enough to make me sweat. I thanked yoga training that helped me hold my plank with ease.

Day 2: 2 Nov 2020

Today I felt a bit more intense as I familiarised with the exercise so I ended up doing more. Sweat for sure, a bit of core pain (during exercise only). My waist size isn the morning i 62cm.

Day 5: 5 Nov 2020

My breathing has gotten better, more consistent. My waist size turns out to be 65cm, not 62cm :)

Day 7: 8 Nov 2020

I’m back. Only has time to write this after series of housework and self-care routine. I tried more hopping exercise today, but not real high knees and real jumping jack. My bone “crack” sound is really loud.

Day 8: 10 Nov 2020

I went back from a full day of biking and going out. I was a bit tired and have period but I told myself I don’t want to have 2 days break. So I decided to do a 10 mins back & arm exercise. Not my best shape but I’m proud I did it.

Day 13: 15 Nov 2020

Today I tried exercising outdoor, at a park near home. It was refreshing to have a change in environment. Maybe I should try it once a week.

Day 16: 18 Nov 2020

Another day of procrastination. I pulled myself to complete teh usual 25 mins and decided to do another 10 mins abs exercise. I was super tired after this.

Day 20: 23 Nov 2020

Had stomachache yesterday, a bit of procrastination. But I made it. Day 20! No change to my waist size yet!

Day 22: 26 Nov 2020

Did the 25 mins exercise today. Somehow I feel my hand and my foot are under mild pain when I do plank.

Day 24: 28 Nov 2020

My bone crack seems to be lesser and lesser.

Day 26: 30 Nov 2020

I procrastinated until 9:00 am but still managed to finish the exercise. Can’t wait for this challenge to be over.

Day 32: 8 Dec 2020

Finished. I started to get bored fo the sequence. But 3 more days to go.

Day 35: 12 Dec 2020

Yeah. Finalised finished. :) Will write a blog about this.

My final thoughts

This challenge might not give me a visible change in body shape but it really allows me to understand my body better, knows what I like and I don’t like, and most importantly, pushes me out of my usual comfort zone. The good news is after this challenge, I already picked up another one - Hourglass challenge (also by Chloe Ting) and am on my day 6. Go Hanh!